Chengdu Lacquerware

Chengdu Lacquerware

　　    Sichuan is a well-known raw lacquer production area, and Sichuan lacquerware is a famous handicraft. As early as more than 2,000 years ago, Sichuan lacquerware already possessed advantages such as being crack-resistant, non-deformable, having a bright luster, and strong anti-corrosion properties, which have been fully confirmed in unearthed artifacts.

　　　　By the Han Dynasty, Sichuan lacquerware had become popular throughout the Central Plains. Varieties included boxes, cosmetic cases, trays, wine cups, flat pots, tables, and scroll tubes. The lacquerware featured exquisitely painted patterns of birds, beasts, and immortals using colored lacquer. Modern lacquerware builds on traditional styles with many innovations, particularly unique varieties such as carved and filled lacquer, polychrome painting, built-up lacquer, and color variation coating. Everyday items include trays, jars, boxes, pots, bowls, tea sets, wine sets, and coffee sets. Decorative items include vases, folding screens, floor screens, and hanging screens.

　　　　Chengdu lacquerware comes in various types such as wooden base, linen-sealed base, paper base, and plastic base. These pieces feature elegant shapes, exquisite craftsmanship, and a lacquer surface as transparent as water and shiny as a mirror. "Carved and filled with color" is the main craft characteristic of Chengdu lacquerware. (Chengdu)

　　Chengdu lacquerware is also known as Lu lacquer. The world-renowned Han Dynasty lacquerware unearthed from Mawangdui in Changsha, Hunan, bears inscriptions such as "Chengshi Cao" and "Chengshi Bao," representing production from Chengdu. During the Warring States period, it was already exported as far as Pyongyang, Korea (ancient Lelang Commandery). Today, the Collection Hall of the China Arts and Crafts Museum houses seven Chengdu lacquerware artworks.

　　　　Chengdu lacquerware is crafted with exquisite skill and meticulous workmanship. Most processes are done manually, using fine-textured and dehydrated logs as the base material. The craftsmanship involves methods such as carving, inlaying, filling, painting, pushing, drawing, and pasting. Among its most distinctive features are refined polychrome painting, carved and filled lacquer (where the artistry lies in using the knife as a brush, applying the Eighteen Methods of Line Drawing to the blade), and engraved tin iridescent silk sheen (a unique decorative technique where the noble and delicate metallic material emits a shimmering brilliance that represents the ultimate charm of lacquerware art).